Starter pistol found at Friendship Elementary sparks debate

Friday

Jun 21, 2013 at 9:26 PM

Parents, school officials and the superintendent of Davidson County Schools met Thursday at Friendship Elementary School to discuss the ramifications from a student bringing a starter pistol to school.

BY SHARON MYERSThe Dispatch

Parents, school officials and the superintendent of Davidson County Schools met Thursday at Friendship Elementary School to discuss the ramifications from a student bringing a starter pistol to school. Principal Beth Goins said school administrators received a report May 28 that a student brought a weapon on school property and showed it to other students. "We conducted a search and discovered a starter pistol in the student's backpack. We contacted our school resource officer who confiscated the pistol and contacted the sheriff's department and the district attorney," Goins said.The issue concerning many of the parents was that they were not notified and that the incident was not treated more seriously.Keith Hedgecock, a parent of a student, said the child in question brought a starter pistol to school and threatened other students if they told. But many of the children informed their parents what had happened, which prompted them to call the school. Superintendent Dr. Fred Mock said what is at issue is the classification of the starter pistol as a lesser weapon and not a firearm. "The reason we did not treat it as a firearm was because it did not meet the state's definition," Mock said. The starter pistol was examined by several different people, including Goins, Mock, the school SRO officer and others with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, all of whom concluded it did not fall under the category of a firearm. A firearm is defined as a weapon capable of firing a projectile and using an explosive charge as a propellant.Maj. Brian Grubb of the sheriff's office said the barrel of the pistol was plugged, a pin was pressed into the barrel to prevent it from being removed, and that not even the smallest caliber of ammunition would fit into it.But parents believe that even if it wasn't considered a firearm they still should have been informed. Goins said that she decided not to send out a letter because the school policy only addresses notification for the most serious offenses."We decided not to send out a schoolwide letter because it was treated as a lesser incident, and it is not current practice to notify parents on those occasions," Goins said. Hedgecock says he and other parents want school policy to be changed so that parents will be informed anytime a weapon is brought to school. "We understand that you can't send a letter every time a Boy Scout forgets his pocketknife," he said. "But if anything happens that threatens the kids' security, it should not be left to the school's discretion on whether to inform parents or not. It should be mandatory."Mock agrees that the principal and the school system would handle the situation much differently if they had to do it over. "We recognize the fear parents have for their children, and we may have made a mistake not grasping the severity," he said. "We are all on the same side when it comes to safety of our schools."Mock said that because of the issues discussed at the meeting, he is making immediate changes to how the school system addresses items that resemble firearms."We have not given principals a directive before on how to treat starter pistols or facsimiles of a firearm, but I am addressing it now," he said. He also plans to ask the school board to clarify the language of the weapons policy to include anything that could be mistaken for a gun. Another parent, Stephanie Strom, said the whole thing could have been prevented if the school had just given parents some information. "If they would have just put it out in the beginning, it probably would have just blown over," she said. "Instead we heard through rumor. When you don't hear anything, you just think they don't care."Goins says because of privacy laws, the school is not allowed to disclose what disciplinary measures were involved, but action was taken. Mock said that punishment for incidents involving violation of school policy can vary depending on the severity of the violation, the age of the child and whether the child mentally grasps what he or she has done wrong.The meeting Thursday allowed parents to air their grievances and to hear from school officials what will happen in the future. "I want to thank all the parents who came to the meeting, " Goins said. "We always appreciate any input to make our school system better."Both Hedgecock and Strom think that the meeting went well and their concerns were taken seriously, but they insist further steps are needed about when to contact parents and to address the issue of bullying in general. They have plans to meet with Mock at his office next week."It's a great starting point, but it's not over until corrections are made in the school policy," Hedgecock said. "This incident doesn't define Friendship Elementary. It doesn't do any good to point fingers. We need to discuss this as adults and solve the problem."Mock says although it is a difficult situation, he is pleased to have parents who are involved in their children's education."I admire these parents who are concerned about school safety," he said. "I understand those feelings, and I appreciate them speaking up for the welfare of the students."Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com.

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